Following previous announcements about the multiplication tables check and year 7 resits we are re-confirming that there will be no statutory requirement on schools to administer these tests in the 2016 to 2017 academic year.

We will engage with the sector as we introduce the tests and will provide further details in due course.

For me the crucial part is the last sentence. I actually read this as the tests in our trial schools didn't work as we expected so we're postponing them until they do. Would be very interesting to find out how the trials did actually go - that said, those pupils who know their times tables accelerate rapidly in the further maths schools, something born out in KS2 SATs.